Rail-joint.



No. 837,999. PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

' J. BARNHILL.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.4', 1906.

' inthe end of the adjoining rail, so that the UNITED A-res JESSE F.BARN HILL, OF PAMPA, WASHINGTON.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed August 4, 190i). Serial No. 329,240.

To all whom it may concern;

ashington, have invented certain {new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of;

which the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention relates torail-joints, and.

more particularlyto that class wherein a tongue or tenon is formed uponone end of a rail and adaptedto enter a mortise or socket two ends ofthe rails interlock and cooperate, one of the objects of the inventionbeing to provide a joint which will not yield laterally, vertically, norlongitudinally and which does not require fish-plates and bolts or othermeans to connect therails.

A further object of my invention is to provide a rail-joint which willpermit of reasonable contraction and expansion when the rails areinfluenced by heat or cold.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, as Well as the structuralfeatures by means of which they are attained, will be made clear by'anexamination ofthe specification, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which the same refer.- .ence-numerals indicatecorresponding portions throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is aperspective of two rail ends constructed in accordance with my'invention and showing the rails in the they assume when expanded, the ens being brought tight together. Fig. 2 is a longitufdinal sectionshowing the position assumed by the rails when contracted, leaving aslight space between the ends, .Fig. 3 1s a .s'ectionaltop plan showingthe ends of the rails to ether. Fig. 4 is a view of the end of one of te unlocked rails, ndFig. 5 is a view of the 'eiid ofthe other rail.Referring to the drawings, 1 designatesordinary railway-track rails of awell-known type, with .the exception that the sides of'the web 2 areslightly inclined, said web being somewhat thicker, as at 3, where itjoins the base; or -tread 4 than where it joins the ball 'or head 5, asshownat 6. At the interlocking ends of said rails the web is enla'r ed,as at 7,' and the end of one;rail is-cutto orm a mortise or socket 8 toreceive a tenon ortongue 9-, formed integral with the end'of osition ithe otherrail. no mortise or socket 8 is i made somewhat larger than thetongue 9, so that said tongue is freely movable therein to admit of areasonable amount of longitudinal contraction or expansion of the railswhen influenced by heat or cold. At the 'inner end 'of the socket 8 is atongue 10, adapted to fit in a groove 11, cut in the outer end of thetongue 9. The end of the rail having the socket 8 is divided into anupper extension 12 and a lower extension 13, the upper extension havinga recess. 14 and the ower extension a recess 15. The upper recess 14 isadapted to receive an extension 16, .formed integral with the end of theopposite rail, and the lower recess 15, the inner end wall of which isinclined, as at 17, is adapted to receive an extension 18, formedintegral with the end of the opposite rail, the end of said extension 18conforming in contour to the wall 17, against WhiOh'lhlS adapted torest.

In operation the joint is assembled by en gaging the two rail-sectionsat a slight angle and inserting the tongueor tenon 9 in the socket ormortise 8, which act will also bring the extensions 16 and 18 into therecesses 14 and 15. The rails are then lowered or brought to theposition shown in Fig. 1, thus completely interlocking the rails andforming a connection which when the'rails are spiked to the cross-tieswill not permit of any vertical or lateral dis la cement by vibrationorotherwise and o viates the. likelihood of roundingthe rails at theirjoints.

connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that theconstruction, operaobvious. 1

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new,and desireto secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a rail-joint, the combination, of a rail having a web increasingin thickness from top to bottom, the end of the rail being" enlarged andprovided with a mortise or groove,- with a second rail having a web increasing in thickness from top to. bottom, andprovidcd with .a tongueand adapted to fit and restwithin the mortise or groove in forpreventing sidewise displacement'of the rails when the tongue is restingwithin the groove. v 7

tion, and advantages of my invention will be From theforegoingexplanation, taken in 'the end of the first-mentioned rail, andmeans iIo ' adapted to fit and rest within the recesses 111 2. Inaraildoint, a railway-rail provided 'tion with a second rail havinlongitudinal with a longitudinal, transverse mortise or extensionsformed integral t erewith and groove dividing the end of the railinto anadapted to fit and rest within the recesses in upper and lower art orextension, and verthe first-mentioned rail, and a tongue formed ticalrecesses'in t e extensions, in combinaintegral with saidsecond-mentioned rail and tion with a second rail havin longitudinalconforming to the contour of the groove in extensions formed integraltierewith and l the first-mentioned rail Within which it is l adaptedtofit and rest, said tongue being the first-mentioned rail, and a tongueformed l provided with a groove adapted to receive a integral with thesecond rail and conforming tongue formed on the inner end wall of the tothe contour of the groove inthe first-niengroove in said first-mentionedrail. tioned rail, said tongue being adapted to fit In testimony whereofI hereunto affix my 0 and Hist within said g-roovle. 1 d signature inpresence of two witnesses.

'3. I n a mi joint, a rai way-rai provide a with a longitudinal,transverse roove or JESSE ARBHILL.

mortise'di-vid'ing the end of the rai into two Witnesses. parts orextensions, and longitudinal, verti l IRA CAMP,

cal recesses insaid extensions, in co-mblna 1 J. E. CLEMENS.

